A New Wave Of Patriotism: Flags To Once Again Fly High And Proud in Southampton

A popular patriotic song states “She’s a grand old flag, she’s a high flying flag”, but that has not been the case in Southampton for the past two years.

In fact, about two years ago, as flying the nations flag was ruled as outdoor advertising and went against new policy restricting outdoor signs by businesses.

Now, a new proposed measure may once again make it legal for business owners to proudly prop their flag in front of their stores.

At an upcoming town board meeting town officials will revisit the measure and discuss a possible resolution to the previous ordinance preventing storeowners from flying the American flag.

The law put into effect two years ago, made it illegal for any flag larger than 60 square feet, 6 by 10 feet, or the display of more than two flags. That also includes the small flags often stuck in the ground along the roadside, and that means a fine of $5,000 for repeated violations.

Though the law does not impact or affect homeowners, officials add that since there is a law that restricts the flying of flags, there should be one that allows them to be flown and displayed.

They also felt that while the law was instituted to restrict clutter that was a distraction to drivers, which also protected property values and the character of the historic downtown business districts, complaints from some locals convinced the board to remove the restriction on American flags and to allow those who’d invested in theirs an opportunity to amortize their investment.

The meeting was also scheduled to examine the limitations on the “residential identification signs”, which denote the name of a subdivision.